The country that’s depicted in yellow in all movies actually is yellow in real. It’s as if the VSCO f02 filter is always on, as a friend reminded me.
Here some highlights across Food, Drink, See, Spend and Restaurants visited:Food
Tacos vs Quesadilla vs Enchilada (needed to figure the one out first!)
Tacos = Tortilla + Filling
Quesadilla = Tortilla + Filling + Cheese
Enchilada = Tortilla + Filling + Cheese + Sauce
Huevos Rancheros (the only breakfast dish we had everywhere)
Huevos (eggs) have numerous ways of preparation, but the one unique to Mexico is Rancheros, which is Tortilla, runny eggs and sauce. Sort of the Enchilada of eggs.
Pork pilbil
The pork dish of Mexico, best had with the Mexican roti and pickled onions
Aracherra
The steak of Mexico. It’s flattened out, like the meat of a Schnitzel, which makes it much easier to eat.
Pikante
Green and Red options available. Personal favorite is Green. Closer to the Indian green chilly possibly
Sauces
Poblano is a dark sauce made with chillies, nuts and chocolate.
Pipian is a red sauce made with chillies and jalapeños.
In summary, Mexican food is all about the ensemble. The fried chicken taco tastes dry and terrible on its own, but with the guacamole and refried beans, it’s incredible. All dishes are about the combination with tortillas, protein and sauce. Tortillas are ubiquitous, pork and chicken are the most common protein forms, and sauces are up to your liking. My favorite was the green pikante or pipian sauce.
Don’t miss this old lady coming over to serve warm bread in restaurants. They’re always the most fresh.
Drink
Coffee - the standard Mexican coffee comes spiced like the kind you find in Kerala, and served in a quaint pot. But you’ll need to visit a classic Mexican joint for this as most restaurants otherwise just serve the usual cappuccinos and espressos. Coffee with milk is a whole different thing though. It’s a tall glass of milk with a little bit of coffee. So basically it’s 2 extreme versions of coffee here, super spicy and strong or super light and milky.
Chelada Michelada - the standard serving for beer or Cerveza. Chelada is lemon squeeze in a glass lined with salt. Michelada is tomato in place of lemon.
Corona - the beer made famous by Mexico and tastes outstanding in the Chelada form.
Mezcal - the original tequila of Mexico, worm and all in the bottles. A bit too strong for my age now.
See
Mexico City for food, history and the Teotihuacan pyramid.
Cancun for the Caribbean beach, parties, excellent sunrises and a day trip to Chichen Itza.
Oaxaca for day of the dead festival.
Tepozlatan for an idyllic Mexican village with graffiti walls, food market and one big church.
Mexico City for food, history and the Teotihuacan pyramid.
Cancun for the Caribbean beach, parties, excellent sunrises and a day trip to Chichen Itza.
Oaxaca for day of the dead festival.
Tepozlatan for an idyllic Mexican village with graffiti walls, food market and one big church.
Spend
Cash needed - withdraw pesos at the best conversation you can find. Will need it.
Tip culture - borrowed from its neighbors to the north mostly, where cab drivers and waiters speak just about enough English to ask for tips.
Cash needed - withdraw pesos at the best conversation you can find. Will need it.
Tip culture - borrowed from its neighbors to the north mostly, where cab drivers and waiters speak just about enough English to ask for tips.
Do
F1 if around the time. Circuit is in the centre of the city making it far more accessible than the ones in Europe. Perez is also one of the biggest celebrities of Mexico, making the sport and fan favorite. We saw spectators in Red Bull shirts all around the city starting from 8am on race day.
Dia de los Muertos, day of the dead, again if around the time. It’s a truly unique festival with its epicenter at Oaxaca, but interesting to see the installations in Mexico City as well.
F1 if around the time. Circuit is in the centre of the city making it far more accessible than the ones in Europe. Perez is also one of the biggest celebrities of Mexico, making the sport and fan favorite. We saw spectators in Red Bull shirts all around the city starting from 8am on race day.
Dia de los Muertos, day of the dead, again if around the time. It’s a truly unique festival with its epicenter at Oaxaca, but interesting to see the installations in Mexico City as well.
Restaurants visited:
